The first Ebola infection in Nigeria in 12 years is heightening concerns about an outbreak that has already killed thousands, prompting Africa’s leading public health agency to urgently seek international assistance.
The case registered in Nigeria was caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, said on Tuesday Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). According to him, the agency is mobilizing support for Nigeria while intensifying its response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Kenya.
“This Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has already become the most geographically widespread in history, affecting several countries across three regions of Africa,” Kaseya said, referring to East Africa, West Africa and Central Africa.
Nigeria is the fifth country to detect the virus since the outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo on May 15, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The West African country had previously confirmed that a woman who had recently arrived after traveling through Uganda tested positive for Ebola.
The patient developed symptoms on October 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria, and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja, the country’s capital, on October 11, according to the WHO. Investigations are under way to determine where she was infected and to reconstruct her travel history and exposure to the virus. She is isolated and receiving medical care.
Uganda authorities said the woman traveled to the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo for business and only transited through Uganda, where there are currently no active Ebola cases.
In Nigeria, authorities identified 44 people who had contact with the patient. They will remain isolated for at least three weeks while monitored for possible infection, Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate told Premium Times Nigeria. The case is being treated as imported, with no evidence so far of community transmission.
“We are doing everything possible to contain this case, tracing all contacts the patient may have had,” Pate said in a separate statement.
What Bloomberg Economics Says
“The spread of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus to Nairobi and Abuja, two major African cities, is a stark reminder that the outbreak that began earlier this year in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has yet to be contained. The failure reflects the limited resources available to Congolese health authorities, partly due to cuts in U.S. aid in 2025.”
— Yvonne Mhango, Bloomberg economist for Africa
Nigeria, the most populous country on the continent, is an important hub for air connections in West Africa.
The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccines or treatments. Moderna began testing an experimental vaccine developed to combat the virus. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a nonprofit organization focused on developing vaccines for pandemic threats, is helping to finance the initiative.
The Democratic Republic of Congo had recorded 9,552 confirmed infections and 4,602 deaths, according to the country’s National Institute of Public Health. The crude fatality rate stands at 48%.
Uganda had previously recorded cases during the outbreak and tightened health controls and traveler screening at entry points following the Nigeria case. Kenya confirmed nine infections, including one death, all linked to a traveler from the Democratic Republic of Congo who passed through Uganda before arriving in Nairobi. Patients infected as a result of this outbreak were also detected or treated in Europe.
Africa CDC has called for immediate international funding, provision of medical equipment, diagnostic tests, trained response teams, and strengthened epidemiological surveillance in communities.
“We cannot allow this outbreak to spread to more countries or to continue for another year,” Kaseya said. “Every day of delay costs lives.”
The most recent Ebola case registered in Nigeria had occurred in 2014, when an infected traveler arrived in Lagos from Liberia during the West Africa Ebola epidemic.
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
